Unfulfilled Dreams
by Vampyre Heartbreak
Summary: After a mistake, Orihime winds up pregnant. Now she must keep Kurosaki-kun from knowing. Not to mention keep Tatsuki-chan from killing Kurosaki-kun. -IchiHime, lemon-
1. Dragon Moon

Okay, before people get all upset with me, I _do _have two more chapters of AWIP ready to go. I just need to wait for copper-sama to finish beta-ing them (along with a few more chapters of this one as well, if people seem to like this one.)

I, personally, am more than a little iffy on this one. However, copper-chan basically threatened me into posting this. So I figured I would give it a shot, and see the reception.

But I finally have my own computer with internet again! -cheers-

Hello, updates!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Ichigo, or Orihime. I am merely using them for my own perverted needs.

Warning: first part is a steamy lemon.

_

* * *

_

_The kiss started out soft and tentative, if slightly clumsy as his teeth banged against her own and dug into her lower lip bluntly only moments later. Then their passion caused it to become more frenzied and passionate as Ichigo shoved her brusquely up against the wall. Instinctively, his rough, callused hands grasped her hips, her small hands fisted into unruly orange hair. _

_His tongue prodded almost shyly at the junction of her lips and she opened her mouth obediently. His fleshy appendage dove almost eagerly into her wet crevice, exploring her mouth thoroughly. Her own tongue touched his hesitantly, and a battle of wills began, which she allowed him to win. _

_There was still the faintest hint of the sweet sake that had caused the normally ignorant Kurosaki Ichigo to become so brazen. The sweetness mixed with his own smoky scent to create an intoxicating taste._

_Her fingers tightened unconsciously on his scalp. _

_His lips skimmed down her throat before brushing back up to her jaw line. "Careful," he murmured against her skin in an almost growl, nipping at the ivory skin until it was a vivid, irritated red. _

"_So-Sorry," she struggled to get out, shivering as the pads of his work-roughened fingers slipped deftly under the hem of her shirt and pressed temptingly into the small of her back. Ichigo flicked his tongue teasingly against her pulse point, creeping his fingers up her spine at the same time. She couldn't help but shiver once more as she felt the whisper of her school shirt rising up slowly against her heated flesh. _

_The sensation of his fingers brushing against her bra snapped her out of her daze, as she suddenly wrenched on Ichigo's spiky orange hair. His lips separated from her collarbone as he let out a black oath. "What the hell, Orihime?" He rubbed at his now extremely sore scalp. _

_Her chest heaving, she looked up at him out of thoroughly dazed gray eyes. She couldn't help the way that her cheeks flushed even more when she realized that he had used her first name. "We shouldn't be doing this…Ichigo…-kun." She hesitated for a moment before using his first name and once more before adding the suffix to it. _

"_And why the hell not?" He asked in annoyance. His eyes, which had long since turned to yellow and black, glowered almost childishly at her. _

_She had difficulty swallowing at the heated look as she crossed her arms over her chest to hide the way her nipples had tightened in acute arousal. "I don't want this to be a one-time thing, Ichigo-kun. I'm not that girl."_

"_And you think I'm that guy?" Ichigo asked, mildly insulted. _

_She looked flustered. "No! But I don't want to become your booty call, either."_

_If he hadn't been so turned on that he was actually worried about dying from lack of blood to his brain, he would have burst out laughing at the phrase "booty call" actually leaving Orihime's lips. "Relax. I'm not that much of a prick."_

_And with that said, he looped a wiry arm around her slim waist and crushed his lips to her already kiss-swollen ones. _

_Almost immediately, she melted against him, her glorious breasts pressing into his chest firmly. Within seconds, his hands were back in their original position on the snap of her bra. This time, she didn't mind, instead deciding to nibble on his lower lip before moving to his earlobe and drawing it into her mouth to suck on teasingly. _

_Judging by the way his knees buckled and he nearly dropped her, she had successfully found his sweet spot. _

_During her little expedition, he had managed to unsnap her brassiere after a few fumbling misses. Her breasts bounced free as the rough cloth of her shirt rubbed against her highly-sensitized nipples, causing electricity to spark down her spine as she gasped into the shell of his ear. _

_Ichigo's hands skimmed lightly from her back to the front, where he cupped her breasts, which overflowed pleasantly. Yellow eyes focused on her flushed, pleasured face, he rubbed a callused thumb over a nipple, which tightened and puckered beneath his finger. _

_She let out a low whimper and arched her back in an effort to make him touch her once more. _

"_Bedroom," Ichigo growled against her throat, flicking the same nipple with the nail of his thumb. _

"_Door on… your left. Behind… you." She gasped out with extreme difficulty, yelping in surprise when the Kurosaki suddenly pulled her more securely into his arms and practically ran to her room. _

_Once inside the darkened room, he stumbled into a nightstand, and tripped over a stack of her school books before finally landing on her bed, automatically catching his weight on his hands to refrain from crushing the tiny girl. _

_Orihime's gray eyes glowed silver in the moonlight that flooded the room from her single window above her bed as she studied his face lovingly. _

_His fingers quickly unbuttoned her school shirt and slipped it down her arms before tossing it away haphazardly. Her bra was next, though he took a brief moment to appreciate the lacy, royal blue bra, which complimented her ivory skin nicely before tossing it into the far corner of her room wildly. _

_Then he leaned back to admire Orihime's naked torso. Her breasts were perfect in his opinion: the nipples were darkened with passion, a stark contrast to the creamy skin surrounding them and puckered from his attention on them. They were soft and filled his hands with just the right amount left over. _

"_You have too many clothes on, Ichigo-kun," Orihime's shy voice broke into his musings, just as dainty fingers began unbuttoning his shirt swiftly. Surprised by her boldness, Ichigo allowed her to continue as he stood still. Her soft hands explored his revealed skin almost curiously as she removed his shirt inch by inch. Her hands traced his muscles and the various scars that littered his body before creeping up to his neck and pulling him back down. His skin was taut and smooth, almost scorching hot. _

_It fascinated her and she slid her hands down his back, easily feeling lean muscles ripple under her soft touch. She, on a whim, reached up and lapped at the skin of the junction of his neck. _

_Ichigo shuddered, a groan escaping him. As payback, he clasped his lips over the right nipples, drawing it deeply into his hot, wet mouth. _

_With a loud cry, she arched back into him; small fists clutched desperately at his hair. _

_Fighting back a wince at her strong hold, Ichigo instead laved the areola roughly with his tongue, causing her to roll her spine against him instinctively. Now her fingers dug into his scalp sharply. _

_He bit down on her nipple slightly, and in reflex, her grasp loosened slightly. The powerful Shinigami rolled the other nipple between his fingers as he suckled thoroughly on the other. _

_Once she was thoroughly dazed with her breasts rosy and her face flushed, his fingers moved down to the snap of her skirt, fumbling with the small button for a moment before Orihime helped him unsnap it. _

_She kicked it off, possibly to join the other abandoned articles of clothing. "And then there was one," Ichigo breathed lowly, admiring her lacy bikini-styled underwear that matched her recently abandoned bra perfectly. Must've been a match. _

"_The ratio of my removed clothes versus yours always seem to tip in your favor," she observed breathily, earning a barely visible smirk right before the tangerine-haired Kurosaki kicked off his shoes and shucked his pants. "Better," she allowed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back down. Her smaller, lithe body nestled just right into his as her long, lean legs wrapped around his hips firmly. _

_Her face flamed when she felt the apparent evidence of his arousal prodding insistently at the seam of her legs as Ichigo found her pulse point once more, sucking there until he was absolutely sure that it would bruise. It was a brand: his brand._

_All thought processes froze to a screaming halt the very moment Orihime grounded against his already straining erection tentatively. She sensed the way he froze and looked up at him worriedly. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"_

"_No. Just… give me a warning next time, okay?" He groaned into the skin of her neck. Her deep orange hair tickled his nose as she nodded. "Good," he nipped her collarbone before soothing the spot with his tongue. _

_She gasped, whimpering as she bucked her hips against his in an effort to get him to move his attention down where the ache for him was growing with every touch._

_He obliged, teasing her as he grasped her hips loose, bringing his knee up to help support his weight. He dripped his head from her collarbone to her breast, suckling lightly as he pressed a finger lightly against her clit through her panties. Immediately, she arched her back up off the bed with a loud cry, bucking her hips fiercely to get another touch like that once more. She was amazingly responsive to everything he did, he noted in mild surprise to himself. _

_A thick, heady scent was filling up his nostrils and when he rubbed her clit again, he noticed that they were dripping wet. He lazily rubbed the nub between his fingers, yellow eyes smugly watching her breathing escalate, causing her breasts to jiggle and bounce most enticingly. _

_After making sure she was thoroughly distracted, he hooked his index finger on the sides of her underwear and slid them down her legs carefully. They were, after all, too pretty to stretch or rip. _

_Her eyes shot open when she felt the cool air brush her damp curls. _

_When she started trying to cover herself modestly, Ichigo pushed her back down gently. Assuring her that she was fine, he pried apart her clenched-together thighs gently but firmly. Orihime lied there, faintly quivering in anxiety and excitement as Ichigo examined her most special of places. _

_It was safe to say that Orihime didn't dye her hair. _

_She was soft and warm when he touched her gingerly and Orihime jumped slightly at the unexpected action. When Ichigo actually slid a finger inside of her, she gasped and her fingers fisted into the sheets of her bed tightly. Inch by inch, he sheathed his index with her, stroking the wet, silken walls slowly. _

_He removed the finger mostly before adding one more. Due to her inexperience, he kept the thrusts of his fingers slow and measured, though it was clearly enough for him. _

_With one more thrust, the girl beneath him came over his fingers, crying out, "Ichigo!!" _

_Her hips snapped upwards with the strength of her orgasm as she threw her head back against the pillow, causing her dusky orange hair to fly around her flushed face and land over her breasts and stomach in a feathery halo. _

_She looked absolutely stunning. _

"_Orihime, I need you. Now," He groaned against the skin of her stomach, his erection straining against the fabric of his boxers and by now, almost painful. _

"_I-I know. M-Me too. But I-I'm a vir-" she struggled to get out, obviously still reeling from her orgasm. _

"_Me too. No worries." he cut her off breathlessly, slipping off his boxers hastily as he spoke. _

_Once he was as naked as she was, her gray eyes couldn't help but wander over his lean, muscled frame. Dusty traces of bright orange were scattered over the skin of his lower stomach, leading to his iron hard erection which stood proudly at what had to be at least nine inches. _

_Fascinated, she stared at it with wide eyes. "Are you sure it'll fit?" She couldn't help but ask, her tone fearful. _

_Ichigo's yellow eyes glimmered with light amusement. "We'll give it our best shot."_

"_Okay," she agreed eagerly, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck to drag him back down. She ran her fingers through his hair, which was rough with just a hint of softness. _

_He laid a soft kiss over the small forming hickey on her collarbone, laving the spot gently with his tongue. He grasped her thigh, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist. _

_She obliged obediently and immediately felt the tip of his need prod insistently at her entrance and her already flushed face flamed even more. _

_Ichigo chuckled against her skin, glancing up at her once more to make sure she was okay with this. She answered by bring him up for another kiss. _

_Drinking in the honey-sweet taste of her mouth, he began to push as in slowly as he could handle, giving her ample time to adjust to his girth. He was very much aware of when he reached her virginal barrier and hesitated after looking up at Orihime's twisted-in-pain face. "Make it fast," she gritted out. _

_He nodded, his hips surging upwards with almost no warning. _

_Her hymen gave and ripped easily and Ichigo swallowed Orihime's answering screams. Once he was fully sheathed within, he stilled. _

_Tears brimmed on the corner of her eyes, and she kept whimpering. Just the sound of it was making him feel worse. _

"_Keep go-going." She finally spoke up as the pain began to leech away. _

"_But-" Ichigo attempted to protest. _

_Gray eyes implored him. "Please?"_

_He sighed and began to once more, her silken walls caressing him softly despite the extra lubrication which he immediately knew was blood. Dammit. _

_With each slow, tantalizing thrust, more and more of the almost unbearable pain leeched away, only to be replaced with almost overwhelming pleasure._

_Almost unconsciously, her hips began to lift up to meet his thrusts, which were steadily becoming less controlled and time as passion began to rule his movements. Each time he filled her, she felt the unbelievable sensation of being complete. _

_Her soft grasps turned into brazen moans, her grasp on his neck grew tightened as she dug in with her nails. "Oh, God, Ichigo!" She cried out against his sweaty, salty-tasting skin. His answer was a low, almost guttural groan against her neck. _

_His thrusts became even rougher, feeling the way that her muscular, vaginal walls started to rubber band around him, milking him for all he had. Now determined on a primal level to make her come screaming his name, Ichigo dipped his head to her nipple. He suckled thoroughly on the puckered areola before biting down. _

_It worked like a charm. Orihime exploded around him, shrieking out his name at an almost deafening level. Her walls rippled around him, tightening as she brought him to his own climax. He temporarily saw white, which slowly leeched away to reveal Orihime's exhausted, pleasured face. _

_Spent, he collapsed on her, exhausted. _

_Orihime didn't seem to be much better, judging by her sweat-soaked hair, limp frame, and rapid gasps. _

_He had just enough strength to pull a thin sheet over them before collapsing next to her. Almost automatically, his arms locked around her waist. _

_With a soft, contented sigh, Orihime snuggled into his chest before quickly falling asleep. _

_Comforted by the smell of her, Ichigo soon followed. _

When she woke that next morning, he was already gone with not even a note.

* * *

::Six Weeks Later::

"You're WHAT?!?" Tatsuki's explosive cry seemed to ricochet over Inoue's otherwise empty apartment.

Orihime looked absolutely mortified, rubbing her thumbs over the heated cup of tea absently.

"It's not for certain, Tatsuki," she hissed out. "It's just a feeling."

"But-but…" The karate master's voice was faint as she struggled to find words. "Pregnant." The word was almost inaudible.

"Nothing's for sure," Orihime insisted stubbornly, a hand unconsciously pressing against her flat stomach.

"…Why do you think that?" Tatsuki asked, attempting to get used to the idea of her naïve best friend actually being pregnant. As in, with a _baby. _

"Well…I'm late," Orihime flushed a bright red at the exposure of something so intimate. "And it… _would_ match up."

The raven-haired girl's jaw went slack at Orihime's admitting that she had had sex.

"Who?" She demanded, already cracking her knuckles threateningly.

"…Kurosaki-kun," The beautiful woman answered softly, her expression saddening.

_I'll kill him._

"Orihime…" Tatsuki's tone was sympathetic, while all she really wanted to do was track down that that missing son of a bitch and throttle him until he quit breathing permanently.

"Don't, Tatsuki-chan. Please," Orihime pleaded quietly, looking at the other girl imploringly.

"My lips are sealed," Tatsuki assured her. "You should probably make sure that you, y'know, are in fact pregnant."

Orihime's face was blank. "How?"

"Store-bought pregnancy tests," Tatsuki answered, exasperated.

"Oh. But I haven't got any of those."

Tatsuki got to her feet with a soft sigh. "Okay. I'll go buy you some tests. You stay here, and make sure that you need to pee when I get back," she ordered, hunting up her jacket as she spoke.

Orihime jumped to her feet as well and fished out her wallet from her purse and took out some money.

"Here. The least I can do is pay for them," she offered the yen to her best friend.

Tatsuki knew better than to decline and merely accepted the bills before stuffing them unceremoniously into her back pocket.

"Thanks. I'll be back soon."

* * *

Tatsuki stared at all of the pregnancy test brands, feeling absolutely lost as to which one to buy. She didn't want to get the cheapest one, but wanted one of the quicker ones too.

After another few, long minutes of internal debating, she found a reasonably-priced box that seemed like it would work and only took a minute to show results.

Grabbing a box was on her way to the checkout when pregnancy books on a small shelf caught her eye.

She paused and glanced over the titles. On a whim, she grabbed two of the cheap ones for Orihime to read if she decided to keep the baby, which she probably would.

The checkout lady had a severe frown on her face as she handled Tatsuki's purchases, and as the Arisawa began to leave, she called out, "May God save your soul, child."

Tatsuki didn't even bother acknowledging the religious nut.

* * *

When she entered Orihime's apartment, she found the auburn-haired girl anxiously dancing from foot to foot. The raven-haired girl wordlessly handed over the box of pregnancy tests. "Try to do several to make sure," she told the other girl, who nodded before speeding off to her bathroom.

While she waited, the tomboy wandered into the kitchen in search of something to drink.

Rummaging through the fridge, she found a half-empty bottle of apple juice.

Placing the bottle on the counter, she reached up on her tip-toes to start digging around for a glass.

A loud cry of "Tatsuki!" caused the girl to freeze with her fingers on a coffee mug.

Releasing the cup, Tatsuki wheeled around and barreled down the hallway to the bathroom, opening it to see Orihime staring at a row of white and blue sticks on the counter with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" Tatsuki demanded.

"I'm pregnant," Orihime answered faintly. "All five of them are saying yes," Orihime waved a hand at the row of tests vaguely.

"But you were already pretty sure that you were," Tatsuki pointed out in confusion.

"But this just proved it. I wasn't sure before. I-I don't know if I can handle a baby, Tatsuki-chan," Tears brimmed on the corners of Orihime's eyes. It must've been bad for her to add the almost childish suffix to her name, which was something she had fallen out of the habit as of late.

"Well, there is another option, Hime," Tatsuki stated hesitantly.

The auburn-haired girl blinked innocently. "Adoption?" she asked naively.

"Well, that's one option, but I was thinking of something else. More…drastic," Tatsuki answered slowly, trying to get her friend and almost sister to understand her suggestion.

"What?" Orihime looked on blankly.

"An abortion, Orihime," Tatsuki stressed the second word lightly.

"Oh! But I couldn't do that! I mean, maybe adoption, but never an abortion. I support the right for a girl to choose, but I could never do that! Even if he never knows it, this baby is part Kurosaki-kun, and that's good enough for me," Orihime explained, her expression softening at the mention of Ichigo as she placed a hand over her still flat stomach.

It was official: Kurosaki Ichigo was the dumbest jackass who'd ever lived. He had a girl who was madly in love with him, was willing to do anything for him (including taking care of a child that she probably couldn't handle), and he was too freaking blind to notice.

Despite her less than pleasant thoughts about the substitute Shinigami, Tatsuki smiled fondly. "I thought you'd say that. That's why I got you these."

Tatsuki pulled the two books out of the bag next to the bathroom door and handed them over.

Orihime took them and looked them over.

A beautiful smile appeared. "Thank you, Tatsuki!"

"Mm hmm," Tatsuki smiled. "We should probably get you checked out as soon as possible, though."

"I don't have insurance," The skin between Orihime's eyebrows puckered slightly in worry.

"We'll go to Planned Parenthood. They'll help," Tatsuki answered quickly, soothing her friend's fears quickly. "I'll get you more books when I can, and look stuff up on the internet."

"Thank you, Tatsuki. Just make sure you do it when you're alone. Nobody can know."

"Okay. But shouldn't we tell the head and Ochi-sensei? If they know, they could probably help."

"No. No one can know."

"But-"

"Please?" Gray eyes implored silently.

"Okay, fine." Tatsuki relented with a sigh. "I'm free tomorrow. Do you want to go to Planned Parenthood after school?"

"Sure, that'd be great." Orihime agreed.

* * *

Okay, before you guys send me hate mail, I know Ichigo comes off as a jackass. Trust me when I say that there is a reason for why he left so early, and that NO it wasn't because he flipped and realized that he just slept with his nakama. (Weird as that sounds.)

Because, in my opinion, its far too cliche.

And no, it won't skip until she has the baby. I have a particular plot set out for this one. Mwuhaha.

Review, yes? Tell me your thoughts, yes?

-Vampyre Heartbreak


	2. Wolf Moon

I'm sorry this took so long! My poor Beta-chan got overwhelmed, and it took her a while to get to this. But she beta'd it, and did an amazing job, so please love her.

Thank you everyone for your kind reviews! It made my heart swell. Though unfortunately, the reason for him leaving will be a bit farther off, because I'm just that mean. lol.

Please enjoy!

* * *

"So all you wanted for breakfast was a piece of peanut butter toast and a slice of watermelon?" Tatsuki asked in amazement as the two approached their high school. Orihime nodded, pulling a face.

"Yup. And the smell of red bean paste is now making me sick. I wanted to put it on my breakfast earlier but the sight of it make nauseous. And I've had the oddest craving for chocolate with marshmallows and strawberry syrup." Orihime looked bewildered at the very thought. Tatsuki had to bite down on the inside of her cheeks until she tasted blood to keep from laughing.

"Good mooorning, Orihime!" The auburn-haired girl gasped as Chizuru popped up behind her as soon as she hit the school grounds. The flamboyant lesbian wrapped her arms around the buxom woman's waist, hands immediately going for the girl's breasts greedily.

"Oi, get off of her, would ya?" An irate, definitely masculine voice snapped from behind them. Orihime automatically stiffened at the voice, eyes widening. After a long moment, she turned around slowly.

"Konnichiwa, Kurosaki-kun," she greeted nervously, flushing vividly, twiddling her thumbs in front of her. Ichigo's dark brown eyes observed her silently, noting the slight bags under her eyes and how she didn't seem to want to be anywhere near him with her large grey eyes averted. "Long time no see."

"Ohayo…Orihime," he greeted reluctantly, immediately noticing the way that she had returned to her old mannerisms, as if that night had never happened. She smiled, almost wistfully, at him before turning to the scowling Arisawa who was staring at Ichigo like he was Aizen reincarnated. Chizuru immediately began to rant about his first name basis with her, which everybody ignored.

"I need to go to the library. I'll meet up with you at the classroom, okay?" She asked, earning a brisk nod and a small smile. "Bye, Chizuru-chan, Tatsuki." She removed Chizuru's arms from around her waist and dodged around Ichigo, walking towards the library.

On the way, Ishida walked out of the building from the Crafts Club, and greeted her with a polite, "Good morning, Inoue-san."

"Oh, morning, Ishida-kun!" She greeted him, making a valiant effort to maintain her normal perky behavior as she smiled brightly up at him. From behind her, brown eyes narrowed dangerously.

* * *

Five minutes to the bell, Orihime stepped lightly into the classroom. She had a bulging book bag at her side with her long, dusky orange hair pulled back from her face in a messy bun, pinned at the nape of her neck with a large decorative bobby pin.

She sat down at her seat by the windows, glancing at Tatsuki out of the corner of her eyes slyly. Ochi-sensei then entered the classroom and began the day after a breezy greeting.

* * *

The hat itched.

Glancing out the window of the bus, Orihime fidgeted underneath the floppy-brimmed hat that covered her orange hair. Chizuru had given her the hat earlier as a belated birthday present and it itched like crazy.

The Parenthood place was too far away to walk, and neither of them had a car, so she and Tatsuki were currently sitting in the back of the bus. Despite the fact that the place was only a few minutes away by bus, it seemed longer due to the anxiety that was causing to flutter in her stomach.

"How much longer?" She whispered to Tatsuki anxiously.

Tatsuki was staring violently at a man who'd been openly gawking at Orihime's bare, crossed legs for several minutes, cracking her knuckles at him threateningly. "We're here, actually. Pull the cord."

A low ding was heard as Orihime obediently did so. Shortly after, the bus pulled to a slow stop and she got off first. Tatsuki paused by the gawker and muttered venomously, "She's taken, asswipe. Look elsewhere."

She left the guy and stepped off to join the waiting Orihime. Together they walked into the place, despite Orihime's attempt to turn around and walk away a few feet away from the door. "You'll be fine," Tatsuki had assured her, patting her head absently as they entered the building. Orihime signed in, and within minutes, had been called. "Thank goodness it wasn't busy," Tatsuki remarked ruefully as they passed through the swinging doors.

* * *

"Congratulations, Inoue-san. It seems that you're right about seven weeks along," The doctor informed her needlessly some time later. "According to these tests, everything seems to be fine. Your baby seems to be in good health, and here are some pre-natal vitamins to make sure it stays that way. I also have some papers with advice on diets and such, along with information on what you should expect over the coming months. I also wrote down a rough time that you should get your next check-up." He handed over a small folders stuffed with papers, along with a small bottle of vitamins.

Orihime hopped off of the table with a relieved little smile, fixing her skirt around her knees before accepting the bottle and the folder. "Arigato, Nagato-sensei," she thanked politely, earning a kind smile, as she joined Tatsuki, who had been forced to wait in the hallway during the exam. "Can we get something to eat? I'm starving." She asked innocently.

"Sure," Tatsuki agreed with a small laugh. "What do yo=u want? Red bean paste and bread?" She asked thoughtlessly, watching as Orihime's face turned green in record time. "Ah, never mind." The Arisawa stated hurriedly.

"How about fruit or maybe some sushi?" Orihime offered instead, still looking rather nauseous.

"Sure. If memory serves, there's a sushi place that's cheap right up ahead. How's that?"

"Okay!" Orihime agreed cheerfully, picking up her pace slightly. She found the place with little problem, and held the door open for Tatsuki before following her in.

Within minutes, they were walking out, each with their own four pack of sushi. Orihime was devouring her's ravenously while Tatsuki was eating at a more sedate pace. "Where to next? I'm not really in the mood to go home yet." The raven-haired girl asked.

"Mmm, the bookstore? Or maybe the arcade? I don't really mind." Orihime answered, voice muffled around a bite of fish.

"The arcade works for me," Tatsuki agreed, immediately leading to the left for a shortcut to said arcade. "And it's not that far from here too, which is a bonus."

"That's why I thought of it," Orihime told her, smiling cheekily.

"That's my girl."

* * *

They arrived at the arcade with little accident, other than Orihime getting sick halfway there and emptying her stomach contents into the nearest trash bin. She was still looking rather green, despite her many assurances that she was fine.

After getting enough quarters to feed a small country, Tatsuki handed half over to Orihime. "What do you want to pla-" She started to say, cut off when her best friend promptly darted off in the direction of a game, quickly lost in the large crowd. Sighing, Tatsuki spotted an old-fashioned fighting game and headed over, immediately elbowing and punching her way up the line.

The game Orihime had her eye on was a flying one to where you actually climbed into the adjacent booth and pulled the curtains closed around you for some privacy. It was a personal favorite of her despite the shaking movements that always accompanied it. Hopefully, it wouldn't make her get sick again.

* * *

"Hey, hey Kurosaki! Long time no see!"

"Kurosaki! You'll have to beat _my_ high score soon enough!"

"Nice shiner, Ichigo! Who beat your ass!?"

The various bellows greeted the orange-haired teen as he entered the overly-crowded arcade. He lifted a hand in vague acknowledgment as he headed through the arcade in search of a game that wasn't really that crowded.

"Oh yeah, bitches! Come back when you've got skills!"

The loud jeer caught Ichigo's attention and he looked around for the source. When he saw very familiar, spiky back hair belonging to a short girl with her fist pumped into the air, he promptly lost interest. It didn't surprise him at all to see Tatsuki at this particular arcade. Video games were a passion of her, and this arcade had been their favorite haunt when they were younger.

Though if Tatsuki was here, he was willing to bet money that he didn't have on the fact that Orihime would be somewhere in there well. Both of the girls had been even more joined at the hip than normal and it seemed that like every time he saw Orihime, he saw Tatsuki, who was pissed off at him for a reason he didn't know. She absolutely refused to grant him any access to Orihime, actually swinging her deadly fists at him a few times when he attempted to shove by her.

And if he could find Orihime, then he could also figure out just what the hell had happened earlier that day with him, even if he already had a good idea.

He started for the games that one would least expect her out.

He had checked out four or five of the games to no avail when he snatches of a conversation between two sleazy looking guys.

"Dude, have you seen the chick over at the airplane game yet?"

"Yeah, man, just did. A total looker. Great legs. Like to have those wrapped around me."

"Not to mention that _rack_." The shorter one let out a low whistle as he mimed massaging imaginary, overly large breasts.

"Her hair tweaked though, man. Never seen a shade of hair like that before. It's probably a dye job gone wrong or sumthin'."

"Prolly right, though I'd love to see if the curtains match the drapes, if ya know what I mean." The gangly, short one said cockily. His friend, a dark-haired taller guy, merely laughed, nodding in agreement.

Ichigo gritted his teeth against his hollow's demands for their blood, as he was very much tempted to give in and rip them apart. With the mental image of Orihime firmly in his mind, the Kurosaki forced himself to turn around and walked in the direction of the game that was located in the back, his brown eyes flashing amber with silent fury.

Sure enough, when he reached the airplane game, he saw Orihime's familiar dusky orange hair in the crack of the drawn-together curtains. As he approached, he began to hear delighted giggles coming from the game, typically whenever it tilted to the side or shook.

Once he was at the game, he waited one moment before knocking once on the plastic with his knuckles and sliding in. Orihime's plane on the screen promptly crashed into the ground and burned as she flinched away from where his arms brushed her accidentally. She slid over as far as on the bench as she could, putting space between them. "Kurosaki-kun, um, konbanwa." She greeted him nervously.

Well, at least this time she met his gaze, albeit waveringly.

"Orihime, what's wrong with you?" he asked bluntly. Her cheeks streaked pink at the usage of her first name.

"Kurosaki-kun-"

"I understand that that night was a mistake, Orihime. If I could make it go away, I would. If I used you or hurt you or deceived you in any way, I'm sorry. It was a one-night stand and I'm sorry for the stupid mistake." He cut her off brusquely, his tone gruff. During this, his eyes had averted downward and he didn't see the tears brimming on the sides of her eyes before they began to slide silently down her cheeks.

"I…I'm sorry you feel that way, Kurosaki-kun," she responded in a quiet, choked voice, the tears falling faster. Ichigo look=ed up, witnessing her face streaked with tears and guilt crashed down on him like a freight train.

"No-Wait, Orihime-" He attempted to recover, reaching towards her. She shied away and proceeded to leave blindly, before his long fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her successfully. "Listen to me-"

"No!" She cried, tears falling faster. "You may consider it a mistake, Kurosaki-kun, but I don't! I was there too, you know! And I was sober, when you weren't, so if I had wanted to stop you, I could have…" Her voice became quieter and quieter until she was silent. In his shock, his grasp slipped and she seized the opportunity to bolt from the game booth.

_Dammit. _

* * *

"Tatsuki!"

The Arisawa immediately turned at the barely-audible call, seeing a distraught-looking Orihime rushing towards her as fast as she could, shoving people aside to reach her. Tears were brimming on the corners of her gray eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked promptly, cracking her knuckles. Orihime shook her head.

"Can-Can we just go?" She pleaded brokenly. "Please?"

"Of course. Let's go, I'm ready now. Bye guys. I'll finish kicking your asses some other day so keep practicing." Tatsuki waved at her opponents briefly, before leading the crying Orihime out of the arcade, shoving her way through the crowd to get out.

* * *

Mwuhaha. A lot of jumping around, I know. I'm sorry. I didn't even realize how much there was until I went through and put in the lines. .

This chapter is insanely short. Way shorter than I'd originally been planning on. Gack! It's annoying. .

Review, please?

- Vampyre Heartbreak


	3. Rose Moon

Here it is, folks! Sorry this took a while. Copper-sama got busy. xD

Enjoy it!

* * *

"Hey, here's some good news. According to this, you won't start getting fat until your third trimester." Tatsuki pointed out from the book in her lap. Orihime looked up from her position on her couch, having been reading her own book.

"Really?" She asked, looking happy at the thought.

Tatsuki nodded. "It says here that you'll gain a few pounds between here and there, mostly water weight, but you'll be at least six months along before it's obvious that you are indeed pregnant." Tatsuki recited loyally. Orihime heaved a sigh of relief and smiled slightly at the news.

"That's good to know," Orihime smiled softly, half talking to herself before turning back to her own book once more. Tatsuki studied her best friend for a moment longer, idly wondering to herself if Orihime consciously knew that her hand was currently resting on her stomach and refrained from smiling at the thought.

* * *

Months past slowly and Orihime's relationship with Ichigo showed no signs of mending. They were barely speaking to each other, he was usually met with Tatsuki, who was still pissed off at him for reasons that he still didn't know.

Orihime did indeed put on a few pounds, centered mostly around her hips and thighs. She'd wound up with really bad morning sickness, though she jokingly referred to it as all-day sickness. The teacher eventually sent her home with the impression that she was sick. Luckily, she had been able to track down some morning sickness pills that helped and she returned to school two days later feigning a thirty-six hour bug.

Her current preference for normal food combinations had yet to go away and now some of their friends were beginning to notice. When Mahana questioned her about it, she just smiled and mentioned vaguely that she hadn't noticed, before digging into her slice of cantaloupe. From then on, she made a point to carry around a small thing of red bean paste even if she didn't actually eat it due to the fact that it was still making her nauseous.

She was now not quite four months along, and she was already piecing together baby furniture. She wouldn't be able to find out the sex of her baby for another two months at least and she was going to wait until she knew what she was having. Luckily, her apartment was a two-bedroom, though she had changed the second bedroom into a nursery. She was planning on her baby sleeping with her for at least a little while. The nursery was still very much in the beginning stages, as she was picking of furniture pieces whenever she found them cheap and usable. Her ultimate goal was to paint them so they matched hopefully before the baby was born.

Nose in a book, Orihime wandered down the empty hallway of her high school. She had originally planned on staying after school and wait for Tatsuki to finish up her karate practice but Tatsuki's _sensei_ wanted her to stay later to practice more and Tatsuki had said that she should just go on home. Orihime had agreed, eager to get home and crawl into her bed. She had been so _tired_ lately.

Too busy reading, she didn't pay much attention to where she was going and wound up crashing into someone. She fell to the floor loudly, luckily catching herself with her hands. Her book went flying across the hallway, thrown by the momentum of her fall.

"Inoue-san, are you alright?!" Wincing at the dull pain in the palms of her hands, she looked up at the Ishida, only to see him extend a hand down to her. Smiling thankfully, she took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Thank you, Ishida-kun," she thanked him, dusting off her uniform.

"I'm sorry, Inoue-san," Uryuu apologized, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She smiled brightly up at him and waved off his apology, busy trying to track down her book. "What're you looking for, Inoue-san?"

"My book," she answered distractedly. "I was reading it when I ran into you and it flew out of my grasp when I fell."

"Oh. Well, is that it?" Ishida pointed down the hallway on the other side, walking down towards it. Orihime turned and then froze when she remembered what she'd been reading.

"No, wait, Ishida-kun! Don't pick it u-!"

As if in slow motion, she watched as he picked up the book and read the title. When he took to look at her, she met his surprised gaze with her own wide eyes, stunned in silence by the thought of her most important secret being given away.

"Inoue-san, are you… pregnant?"

* * *

The question hung heavy in the air and she swallowed thickly as she attempted to find a way out of the awkward situation she had been thrown into. She could try lying to him but she had never been very good at it and he knew her so well after all they had been through; she doubted he would believe her.

Chewing on her lower lip anxiously, she peered up at Uryuu's face hesitantly. He didn't look angry or accusatory, merely expectant. Mentally twiddling her thumbs, she swallowed once more and nodded slowly, once.

Uryuu accepted the news at face value, looking around as he handed the book back to Orihime. "Could I possible buy you a coffee, Inoue-san? I want to know more about your… pregnancy." He cleared his throat awkwardly on the last word.

"Well, maybe not coffee, but I would like some hot chocolate." She told him gently, sounding surprisingly composed despite her quaking nerves. "I've heard that caffeine's bad for babies, so I'm trying to avoid it."

"I…I see," Uryuu cleared his throat once more. "And how far along are you?"

She smiled serenely once more, pressing a hand on her barely swelling stomach lightly. "Not quite four months."

"And… who's the… father?" Uryuu was obviously feeling out-of-place but trying valiantly to hide it. Orihime immediately saddened, worrying her lower lip in a nervous habit.

"Kurosaki-kun…" She trailed off quietly, her finger twining together in front of her loosely. Uryuu nodded and then frowned severely at something.

"So is that why you and Kurosaki haven't been talking?"

She winced slightly. Had it really been that obvious? "Well, Kurosaki-kun… doesn't know. Other than you, the only other person who knows is Tatsuki. I'm planning on telling my relatives soon, but I've already started getting baby things to put in my nursery and Tatsuki's helping where she can. I've gotten checked-up a few times, and everything's healthy. I'm taking pre-natal vitamins and everything!" She gradually perked up as she continued to ramble, complete with wild gesticulations and a bright smile.

"And it's obvious that you're reading up on it." Uryuu nodded. She grinned at him, nodding.

"Yup! I'm doing everything I can think of to make myself as healthy as possible!" She replied brightly. "Oh, here's a neat place. We're in luck; they serve hot chocolate _and_ coffee." She quirked a teasing smile at him as they entered the establishment. Uryuu returned her smile ruefully.

They claimed a window seat for themselves and gave their orders to the waitress who approached them soon after they sat down. "So are you planning to let Kurosaki know about your baby?" Uryuu asked, crossing his arms over his chest neatly. She tore a napkin into pieces absent-mindedly.

"Well, as you evidently noticed, we're not exactly talking. And Kurosaki-kun already has so many responsibilities already; I'd feel awful pinning another huge one on him. Especially since it's my fault that I'm in this situation in the first place."

"Inoue-san, Kurosaki must've been an active participant as well for this situation to actually occur." Uryuu pointed out logically.

"Well, he was. But he was also drunk. I was the only sober one. I could have easily stopped it, but I didn't." Orihime explained quietly. The waitress came by them with their drinks and the Inoue smiled gratefully up at her before sipping at her hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, whipped cream, and hot fudge syrup.

"It's not your fault, Inoue-san," Uryuu remarked simply, sipping at his coffee. "You're in love with him. You're in love with him and love can make you do crazy things."

"Right," she agreed distractedly, before looking at the quietly amused Ishida sharply. "Wait, what?! No, I'm not!" She immediately fumbled to cover her accidental admittance. Ishida's dark blue eyes looked at her knowingly over the rim of his coffee as he remained silent. After a few more minutes of attempting to deny her feelings for the Kurosaki to no avail, she seemed to physically deflate. "Is it really that obvious?" The Inoue whispered sheepishly.

"Not really," Uryuu commented offhandedly, "I'd say only to those who have eyes."

"Oh God," Orihime groaned, drawing out the second word dramatically as she buried her face into her hands.

"Inoue-san, it's not that bad. I'd be willing to bet money on the fact that Kurosaki has no idea how you feel." Uryuu hurried to reassure her Inoue. She lifted her head to look at him with big, gray eyes.

"Really?" She asked in a small voice.

"Really." He confirmed with a slight tilt to his lips, thought calling it a smile would be a stretch.

"That's a relief, I guess." She sighed, straining to stretch out her back. "So enough about me. How have you been, Ishida-kun? We haven't really talked much lately."

"I've been fine as of late. The Crafts Club has been keeping me busy. We're currently working on quilts. Other than that, I haven't been really interesting." Ishida answered, stirring his coffee unconsciously.

"Oh, really? Then what's this I hear about you having asked out Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime asked innocently, eyes sparkling with mischief. Ishida promptly spat out the coffee that he had just drank, which went flying over the table. "Ew, gross!" She complained around her giggles, even though none had touched her. Ishida's response to her question had been priceless.

"Well then, don't surprise me like that." Ishida replied indignantly, fishing out a handkerchief to wipe off his mouth.

"I'm … sorry! Your response…was… priceless!" Orihime breathed out, before looking at the image of the normally neat and tidy Ishida looking noticeably _less _neat and tidy with his glasses askew and coffee dripping down his chin and bursting into laughter once more.

Despite being miffed about being laughed at, Ishida was glad to see Orihime laughing once more. Things had been so _awkward _lately.

* * *

"Ichi-nii, hurry up!"

Ichigo struggled behind his sisters, weighed down by the multiple bags that they had forced him to carry, consisting of groceries, and clothes, and random things that they all knew they had no need for. "Alright, already," he muttered under his breath before pausing at an intersection for a breather.

When Yuzu had asked him sweetly if he wanted to help her with some bags, he had been fully prepared to say no in preference for catching up on his missing sleep, when he had remembered the grilling Kon had given him about being a lousy brother and basically ignoring his sister, and had reluctantly agreed to come along.

However, he had _not _agreed to be their own personal freaking _donkey. _

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo scanned the almost empty cross walks unconsciously, pausing when he caught a flash of light orange in the window of a coffee shop across the street. He recognized the person sitting across from her as Ishida Uryuu, and his fists tightened on the bags unconsciously. What the _hell _was Uryuu doing with Orihime? He had been there when Ishida had asked out Tatsuki earlier, so why was he currently sitting in a coffee shop with Orihime having a grand old time?

As he watched, Orihime said something to Uryuu which caused him to promptly spit out his drink, which seemed to land everywhere but on Orihime, who immediately burst into laughter as she shied away from the drenched table. Ichigo forced himself to turn and walk away in the direction of his sisters after his inner hollow awoke and saw what was going and began to immediately demand for the Quincy's blood, as he knew that he may wind up giving in to the hollow's demands.

* * *

Some time later, Uryuu glanced at the time and got to his feet. "Inoue-san, as much as I enjoy talking with you, I'd better be going." He fished some money out for a tip to the waitress, having successfully convinced Orihime to let him pay for their drinks. She smiled sweetly up at him and bid him a cheerful farewell, having decided to herself that she would wait until after Uryuu left to buy that blueberry scone that had been under her attention for the last ten minutes, as she didn't want him to buy the scone as well.

Luckily, Uryuu had agreed to keep his mouth shut about her pregnancy until she decided to tell everyone. She had even made him promise to not tell Kurosaki-kun as she knew that if he was given the chance, he would tell the orange-haired Shinigami just to try and fix their broken relationship.

"Oh, and Inoue-san?" Uryuu's polite voice broke her out of her musings, and she looked up at him curiously. "If I may be so bold, I believe you should try to forgive Kurosaki. Obviously not tell him about your situation until your ready, but everyone can feel the tension between you two. You've already told me that he attempted to apologize, but accidentally insulted you in the process. But you must remember that he is a word-stunted buffoon, and give him a little break." Ishida advised her, picking up his coat. She looked thoughtful and a little bit guilty, which was an odd combination on her face. "I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries." He bowed his head slightly and turned to go.

"Thank you, Ishida-kun," she replied quietly to his back. He paused slightly, before shooting her a brief smile over his shoulder and exiting the building.

* * *

Uryuu walked down the path to his house, having put on his jacket in an effort to keep warm against the sudden chill that had kicked up while he had been in the coffee shop with Orihime. He briefly contemplated veering off the sidewalk to get some badly needed groceries, but dismissed the thought when he sensed a familiar, and still almost overwhelming, reiastsu coming behind him, obviously following him. The Ishida paused in his stride, and didn't turn around. "Kurosaki, what do you want?"

Ichigo wasn't surprised that the Ishida had realized that he was being followed. Uryuu had always been gifted at detecting people's pressures, and he still couldn't control his reiastsu very well. "What were you doing with Orihime?" He ignored the initial question, voice gruff.

Ishida turned to look at him from across the street. "I was just having a cup of coffee with her. It's been a while since we last had a decent conversation." He answered casually, pretending not to know why Ichigo was talking to him.

Ichigo's brown eyes narrowed. "Right."

"It's the truth. While Inoue-san is a very sweet girl, I have no romantic interest in her, if that's what you're worried about." Ishida taunted lightly. It was the wrong thing to say as Ichigo disappeared from the rooftop of the building that he had been standing on and Ishida next found himself shoved brusquely against the wall behind him with a hand fisted into the fabric of the collar of his jacket tightly. Ichigo leaned a little closer to Ishida, a distinct flash of amber flickering behind his deep brown eyes.

"You stay the fuck away from her, got it?" He growled out, voice deeper than it normally was. Ishida didn't bother trying to struggle as he was well aware that Ichigo was stronger than him when he was in his Shinigami form, and judging by the amber in his eyes, he was borrowing strength off of his hollow, which made him even stronger.

Instead he met Ichigo's flashing amber-brown steadily. "Why are you so protective of her, Kurosaki? It's not like she's a possession of yours." He mused, half to himself. The flash of amber became even more apparent in the Kurosaki's eyes.

Ichigo didn't respond, and his grasp on Ishida's collar didn't lessen at all. Finally, Ishida pressed firmly against a muscle in Ichigo's wrist, which caused his hand to automatically let go of him. "I will not avoid Inoue-san, Kurosaki, and if you don't believe that I don't like her in that way, consider the fact that I am going on a date later this week with Tatsuki." Uryuu informed him haughtily, adjusting his collar. "Now, if you excuse me." He stepped around the highly-agitated Shinigami lightly. "And if I may, I suggest that if you are having an issue with Inoue-san, that you discuss it with her. You never know what you may find out."

With that final piece of advice, Ishida left Ichigo and continued on his way home.

He deserved brownie points _and_ gold stars for all of this charity work that he had been doing.

* * *

"So, Ishida knows now?" Tatsuki clarified over the phone. She had been planning on spending the night with Orihime again, but her mom had demanded that she spend at least one night at home this week, so she hadn't been able to.

"Yes. I admit it wasn't something I'd planned on, but he seemed to support my decision about not telling Kurosaki-kun, though he gave me some advice on making amends with Kurosaki-kun." Orihime replied thoughtfully, as she stirred her boiling spaghetti noodles before moving onto her homemade tomato sauce. There were breadsticks in the oven, and she had already promised Tatsuki that she would bring her some for lunch the next day. Now that she was no longer able to eat the foods she loved, Tatsuki had already discovered that her food, when cooked normally, was delicious.

"Why the hell should you? It's not like you did anything wrong here. Ichigo's the one being the idiot." Tatsuki told her indignantly.

"Well, you might be a bit biased, Tatsuki." Orihime reprimanded her friend lightly with a soft laugh. "And anyways, it's both of our faults. If you think about it, it's a lot like that cliché about the girl getting drunk and then the guy taking advantage of her, but in reverse. He started it, but I allowed it to continue. And plus…" Her voice trailed off quietly.

"Yes?" Tatsuki sounded impatient.

"…I miss talking to him." Orihime answered quietly.

"Really?"

"Yes. I mean, admittedly we never really talked much, but I always loved the few conversations I would have with him and I miss that." Tatsuki had to refrain from sighing, as it was easy to see that Orihime was still desperately in love with the idiotic Ichigo.

"Alright, then. If you're sure."

"I am."

"Good. But don't expect me to forgive him as easily as you do, got it?" Despite her teasing tone, Tatsuki was dead serious.

"As long as you don't throw another desk at him, I'll be fine." Orihime answered back lightly, giggling as she bent over to check on her breadsticks.

"Okay. Hey, Orihime, I have another question."

"What is it?"

"You've admitted a couple of times that you took advantage of Ichigo when he was drunk. Well, if he allowed you to take advantage of him…"

"Yes?"

"…Does that make him your bitch?"

* * *

Sorry its so short! -bows apologetically-

I'm hoping to have four up soon!

Dare I ask for reviews? -bambi eyes-

-Vampyre Heartbreak


End file.
